Chapter 693 — I Challenge You

The beggar's eyes lit up at once, and he thanked her profusely, while Yu Xiaoke slipped quickly away from the hospital gate.

"I've got money, I've got money, I don't even know how to spend it — a Nokia in my left hand, a Motorola in my right..." Yu Xiaoke sang happily, counting the cash in the wallet in her hand! And she drove a Beetle? Only three thousand-odd yuan — not even as much as those three lechers she'd run into at noon! Still, Yu Xiaoke was delighted; in the blink of an eye she'd earned three thousand, and better yet, she'd taught that heartless rich brat a lesson!

"Bang!" Yu Xiaoke suddenly bumped into someone and got a fright! It was all her own fault for being so absorbed — counting money while walking, never watching where she was going! Instinctively she said, "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..."

"If you don't know how to spend it, let me spend it for you." The one blocking Yu Xiaoke's way was Wei Zhao.

Yu Xiaoke froze, then looked up, and never expected it to be that rich brat from before. She jumped. "You... what are you doing here?"

"Quite the moneybags, aren't you?" Wei Zhao produced a lady's wallet and casually flipped through the bills inside. "Over ten thousand yuan? A rich haul, hmm?"

When Yu Xiaoke saw the wallet in Wei Zhao's hand she was startled, and instinctively reached for her own pocket. But at the touch, her face went pale with shock. "My... my wallet? How is it in your hands?"

"Oh, I thought you wanted to trade your big wallet for my small one." Wei Zhao said mildly. "No wonder you handed a hundred yuan to a swindler so casually — you've simply got more money than you know what to do with."

"You... you're talking nonsense! When did I ever give money to a swindler?" Yu Xiaoke glared at Wei Zhao.

"That beggar from before was a swindler." Wei Zhao said, not without mockery. "His leg isn't lame at all. He's fine — healthier than you."

Wei Zhao was well versed in medicine, so of course he could tell at a glance whether that beggar's limp was real or fake. And when Wei Zhao offered to treat him, the beggar had not stayed — he had run off instead, which said plenty in itself.

"What proof do you have?" Hearing this, Yu Xiaoke could not help but frown slightly. She was no fool; she plied her trade in this area often and had seen that beggar more than once or twice. She had never given it much thought before, but counting it up carefully today, the man had been begging here for at least half a year. The money he had collected was long since enough to see a doctor — so why hadn't he gone, and why was he still begging?

But Yu Xiaoke did not want to admit she was wrong, especially not in front of Wei Zhao! This great villain who had stolen her wallet!

"I can't be bothered to argue with you about this." Wei Zhao snatched his own wallet out of Yu Xiaoke's hand. "With skills like yours, you still come out here to pilfer? Go home and practice a few more years before you come out and embarrass yourself."

The other party was a girl, and Wei Zhao could not be bothered to quibble with her. As for her wallet, he decided to confiscate it — a lesson for her, more or less.

"You... don't go!" Yu Xiaoke grew anxious. Not only had Wei Zhao made off with the day's takings, he had insulted her skills! This was beyond bearing. Yu Xiaoke had always regarded herself as the number one divine thief, yet Wei Zhao had not only stolen her wallet but told her to go home and practice for a few more years — that was a barefaced provocation!

Naturally Wei Zhao paid her no mind. He still had to get to the hospital — how could he waste time on this female cat burglar?

"I challenge you!" As the forty-sixth-generation heir of the Flying Swallow Sect, how could Yu Xiaoke let Wei Zhao walk away? This fellow actually dared to look down on a disciple of the Flying Swallow Sect — how could Yu Xiaoke endure it? She was only eighteen, young and hot-blooded, and of course she would not concede defeat.

(For more on the Flying Swallow Sect, see the prequel to Very Pure and Ambiguous, also known as Rebirth: Chasing the Beauty.)

"A challenge? A challenge to what?" Wei Zhao glanced at Yu Xiaoke and thought the girl was a bit unhinged. She was a thief of the very top order, caught red-handed by him, and instead of thinking about escape she wanted to challenge him. If she ran into a cop like this, she would be thrown in jail in no time.

"A contest of thievery, of course!" Yu Xiaoke puffed out her chest, staring fixedly at her own big wallet in Wei Zhao's hand.

"If it's a contest of chests, I might consider it. Thievery? Sorry, not interested." Wei Zhao leered at Yu Xiaoke's chest. Not especially large, but very firm — clearly she exercised a great deal; her pectorals were well developed.

"You—" Yu Xiaoke was about to go mad. She had been in the business so long and had never once been pickpocketed in return. Today was the first time! It infuriated her, and at the same time she felt utterly humiliated. She was the heir of the Flying Swallow Sect! The Flying Swallow Sect was the number one divine-thief sect of the martial world — how could she lose to anyone?

Besides, Yu Xiaoke did not believe she was outmatched. She had simply been too excited while counting her money and had bumped into Wei Zhao, who seized the opening and stole her wallet. In truth, Wei Zhao had stolen her wallet at the very moment she stole his — she just hadn't felt it.

Wei Zhao ignored her and turned to leave, because he felt the girl had something wrong with her head. With that kind of mental fortitude, she still came out to be a thief, challenging people at the drop of a hat...

Seeing that Wei Zhao was simply ignoring her, Yu Xiaoke ground her teeth in fury, yet there was nothing she could do. It was the first time she had met with such a thing, and she did not know what to do either. When she saw Wei Zhao leave, she followed him as if possessed.

Even if Wei Zhao would not compete with her, she still had to get her wallet back. It was the biggest haul of the month — how could it just be taken away? Yu Xiaoke was not resigned to it.

Wei Zhao had not expected Yu Xiaoke to actually follow him. It left him not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and also convinced him that Yu Xiaoke really was unsuited to being a thief. To be a thief and reach her level, one had to be hopelessly simple-minded. If he went to the police station, would she follow him there too?

Yu Xiaoke tailed Wei Zhao as he walked on. She was confident in her lightness skill; the Flying Swallow Sect was famed for its fleetness of foot. Her fighting skills might be mediocre, but she could run fast, so as far as she was concerned, shadowing Wei Zhao was easy as could be.

She meant to find a suitable opportunity to make her move and lift every wallet, big and small, off Wei Zhao's person.

But when she turned a corner at a street intersection, Yu Xiaoke was stunned — Wei Zhao was gone!

"Where'd he go?" Yu Xiaoke looked at the empty street in some bewilderment. This was the back street of the hospital; ordinarily few people passed through, so there was no way he could be lost in a crowd. The street was utterly deserted at this moment, which meant she could see everything at a glance.

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